Here is a summary of the new 2017 Bridge Rules, kindly provided by Fearghal O'Boyle.

Welcome to Dunshaughlin Bridge Club

Dunshaughlin Bridge Club

The club plays in the Dunshaughlin Pastoral Center every Monday morning at 10:30a.m. sharp. There is ample free parking. The playing fee is five Euro and the club is open from September to April. New players welcome. Membership is €25.

Our e-mail address is

DunshauglinBridgeClub@gmail.com

CBAI Rules & Regulations - UPDATES from 1st Sep. 2018

This information covers the way we use Alerts and Announcements.

Each partnership has a duty to make its partnership understandings available to its opponents.

At the start of every round each pair must inform the opponents of their basic system (e.g.) forcing club, strength of No Trump opening, 4 or 5-card majors) and their carding methods and in particular any unusual openings for which opponents may need to prepare.

A 5-card major is basically a natural system- so no alert is required if the the bid is a normal unlimited bid. When you state your system at the start it does not absolve you from the requirement to alert or announce any calls during the auction. However 5-card majors do not require an alert whether or not they are pre-disclosed.

More detailed description follows below:

ANNOUNCEMENTS

You should announce your partner’s bid in the following three specific cases:

 If partner opens a non-forcing 1C or 1D that can be made with 0, 1, 2 or 3 cards in the suit, you say ‘could be 0, 1, 2 or 3 cards' as appropriate.

 If partner opens 1NT - you state the range e.g. ‘15-17’ or whatever the range is.

 If you open 1NT and the next player passes and your partner makes a transfer response of 2D or 2H - you say ‘Transfer to Hearts’ or ‘Transfer to Spades’ as appropriate.

The announcement is solely for the benefit of the opponents and partner is not permitted to use any unauthorised information gained from hearing the announcement.

Clarifications:

 A forcing 1C opening bid needs to be alerted.

 No Alert or Announcement is required for a 5-card Major suit opening bid.

 No Alert or Announcement is required for a Strong Acol 2 Club opening bid.

 No Alert or Announcement is required for a Stayman 2 Club response to a 1NT opening bid.

 You should not Alert any call above the level of 3NT that occurs on or after the opener’s rebid. Instead the declaring side alert such calls after the final pass but before the opening lead has been selected while the defending side alert such calls after the opening lead has been selected but before it has been faced.

DOUBLES

For the purposes of determining whether a double should be alerted or not, any double on the first or second round of bidding of a one or two level natural suit bid is deemed to be a TAKE OUT DOUBLE. All other doubles are deemed to bePENALTY DOUBLES. Any VARIATIONS must be ALERTED.

Dos and Don'ts to help avoid incidents which may spoil a game

Look at your hand and sort it into suits. Don’t shift it from one hand to the other or shift suits around after sorting. Keep it fanned and don’t shut it up or put it down on the table.

Pause a moment before making any call (which includes a Pass). If the opponent on your right has opened with more than one of any denomination or has made a jump bid, do not make any bid until 10 seconds have elapsed.

Remember if you pause for an unduly long time in normal circumstances, you may silence your partner if you then pass.

Don’t bid after partner has made a pause before passing which was of significant length, unless the bid you make is clearly permissible on your own hand without anything but the minimum your opponents’ bidding would suggest may be in your partner’s hand. The onus will be on you to show that partner’s pause could not influence your bid.

Bid and play without emphasis. Don’t vary the tone of your bidding – it should always be flat and unemphatic.

Don’t make faces, or twist about, or sigh, or otherwise indicate difficulty or distress either because of partner’s or opponents’ bids or plays. Remain always impassive.

Don’t look at your partner during bidding or play.

Remember to alert your opponents to any bid which is conventional below the level of 3NT.

(a) When Dummy, don’t play any card, however obvious, until asked by partner.

(b) When Dummy, don’t look at opponent’s or partner’s hands.

Don’t take the cards from the board when they have been returned to it after play. Penalties will be incurred if cards are misboarded.

Be courteous to opponents and to your partner.

GENERAL

Failure to comply with the proprieties is evidence of having taken an unfair advantage.

You are bound to show positively that no improper action of yours, however inadvertent, has operated to your opponents’ disadvantage.

Directors are entitled to inflict discretionary penalties whether by fines or otherwise where an unfair advantage has been obtained.

Look at your hand and sort it into suits. Donâ€™t shift it from one hand to the other or shift suits around after sorting. Keep it fanned and donâ€™t shut it up or put it down on the table.

Pause a moment before making any call (which includes a Pass). If the opponent on your right has opened with more than one of any denomination or has made a jump bid, do not make any bid until 10 seconds have elapsed.

Remember if you pause for an unduly long time in normal circumstances, you may silence your partner if you then pass.

Donâ€™t bid after partner has made a pause before passing which was of significant length, unless the bid you make is clearly permissible on your own hand without anything but the minimum your opponentsâ€™ bidding would suggest may be in your partnerâ€™s hand. The onus will be on you to show that partnerâ€™s pause could not influence your bid.

Bid and play without emphasis. Donâ€™t vary the tone of your bidding â€“ it should always be flat and unemphatic.

Donâ€™t make faces, or twist about, or sigh, or otherwise indicate difficulty or distress either because of partnerâ€™s or opponentsâ€™ bids or plays. Remain always impassive.

Donâ€™t look at your partner during bidding or play.

Remember to alert your opponents to any bid which is conventional below the level of 3NT.

(a) When Dummy, donâ€™t play any card, however obvious, until asked by partner.

(b) When Dummy, donâ€™t look at opponentâ€™s or partnerâ€™s hands.

Donâ€™t take the cards from the board when they have been returned to it after play. Penalties will be incurred if cards are misboarded.

Be courteous to opponents and to your partner.

GENERAL

Failure to comply with the proprieties is evidence of having taken an unfair advantage.

You are bound to show positively that no improper action of yours, however inadvertent, has operated to your opponentsâ€™ disadvantage.

Directors are entitled to inflict discretionary penalties whether by fines or otherwise where an unfair advantage has been obtained.